


Empty Shell

by StormBerryMC



Series: Musical Sadness [1]
Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Michael Has a Squip, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Child Neglect, Coma, Depression, Experimentation, Grief/Mourning, Guilt, Hospitals, I'm Sorry, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Multi, Platonic Relationships, Sad Jeremy, Sad Michael, The Play, What Have I Done, boyf riends — Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-11
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-01-31 17:48:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12687147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StormBerryMC/pseuds/StormBerryMC
Summary: Do you know what happens when a squip tries to sync up with another who's task conflicts with its own? I'll tell you, it results in a tragedy that Jeremy never could've fathomed when he took that stupid pill.





	1. System Error

Mountain dew red. _That’s it…_ Thought Jeremy. He faced his squip, face ripe with satisfaction. “Green mountain dew activates you, red turns you off!”

Jeremy’s squip smiled. “Why do you think we had it discontinued? To get rid of me now, you’d need a time machine to the 1990s!”

“Or a friend who’s so old school he buys 90s soft drinks from the back room at Spenser’s Gifts!” countered Jeremy.

The squip gasped, but Jeremy realized it was fake. His squip crossed his arms, smiling even wider. “Too bad you don’t have one of those… Anymore.”

Jeremy’s eyes widened as he realized his squip was right. He had ditched Michael. He called his best friend since kindergarten a loser. _What have I done?_ he thought. Jeremy pulled out his phone, desperately hoping it wasn’t too late. “Michael, call Michael! Ca-”

Before Jeremy could finish, the squip grabbed his shoulder. “I can’t let you do that Jeremy.”

Jeremy was horrified as the phone slipped from his hands, and he found that he couldn’t move. He could hear the squip laughing. Jeremy tried to turn his head, but it was no use. Before he knew it, the squip was standing in front of him, and got close to face.

“I’m going to improve your life Jeremy, even if I have to take over the entire student body to do it!” With that, the squip picked up Jeremy like he was a rag doll, and threw him.

Jeremy landed with a thud in front of the stage door. Everything hurt, and even though the squip’s hold on him was momentarily gone, Jeremy didn’t have the energy to move. Suddenly, the stage door opened, and Jeremy could see someone standing there. The stage lights shining through the door prevented him from seeing who it was, but then he heard a familiar voice.

“Michael makes an entrance!”

“Michael?” said Jeremy, sitting up. You’re… You’re here!”

Michael smiled and helped Jeremy to his feet. “I was just in the audience thinking, this is pretty good for a school play, and then I was like, THIS IS WAY TOO GOOD FOR A SCHOOL PLAY! They’ve all been squipped right?”

Jeremy nodded, and then looked confused. “Wait, you came to see me in the play?”

“Yep,” said Michael. “I even brought my own refreshments!” With that, Michael pulled a bottle of mountain dew red out of his coat pocket.

Jeremy gasped “Oh my gosh, you actually have it! I… Can’t believe it!” Jeremy reached for the bottle, but his squip held him back. Jeremy nearly fell to the ground, but Michael caught him.

“Hey, Jake?” said Michael, causing Jake, who had just walked in, to turn and look. “This might sound weird, but if I hold down Jeremy, could you make him drink this?”

Jake shrugged. “Actually, that doesn’t sound weird at all.”

Up, up, down, down, left, right, A

At the squip’s words, Jake doubled over in pain. Michael was confused, because he couldn’t hear the squip, but when Jake looked back up, his eyes glowed, letting Michael guess what had happened. Jake raised his crutches aggressively, ready to bring them down hard.

Michael, ducked out of the way just in time, but one of the crutches knocked the bottle out of his hand. It rolled away out of his reach, most of the liquid spilling onto the floor.

Before they could react, other students came and surrounded the bottle, their eyes glowing bright.

Jeremy, who suddenly felt stronger, pointed to the bottle. “we have to get it, there’s still some mountain dew left.”

Michael shook his head. “How?”

Jeremy thought for a moment, before it dawned on him “Apocalypse of the Damned, level 9!”

“The cafetorium!” finished Michael, understanding immediately. Still holding Jeremy up, Michael dashed towards the bottle. When he came towards a student, Michael pushed them aside. He was surprised how much Jeremy was able to help, only seeming to get stronger.

When he was only a few feet away, a squipped Jenna blocked Michael’s path.

“I know what you’re doing Michael, I know everyone’s doing. All the the time!” she said, sounding deranged.

Michael had been momentarily distracted by this, and didn’t notice the hoard of students closing in until it was too late. In a flash, Michael dropped Jeremy, dove for the bottle, and threw it over the students’ heads where it was caught by Jeremy. Michael was surrounded by the mob.

When Jeremy fell to the floor, he was dazed for the second before looking up and seeing the bottle of mountain dew red fly towards him. Jeremy caught it and stood to his feet.

Before he could drink it, however, Jeremy heard Michael coughing loudly. He turned to face the crowd, which had spread apart away from Michael. Jeremy gasped and took a step back.

Michael was kneeling on the ground, coughing up a green liquid that had clearly been forced into him. Green mountain dew.

“J-Jeremy, they… squipped me!” Michael struggled to say in a hoarse voice. His eyes were full of terror.

Before Jeremy could move towards his friend, he heard the dreaded words from his squip that would sync Michael’s new squip to his.

Up, up, down, down, left, right, A

“No!” shouted Jeremy.

Michael let out a strangled cry as his eyes began to glow. However, his eyes got brighter and brighter. Jeremy could see electricity course through Michael, and heard a sound that was similar to when his computer glitched last year. Michael’s body shuttered and twitched for a second, until it stood still.”

“M- Michael?” said Jeremy softly.

Behind him, Jeremy’s squip began to laugh. “Well, that was certainly unexpected.” he said nonchalantly.

Jeremy whirled around to face his squip. “What did you do to him?!” he said with rage.

The squip shrugged. “Sorry Jeremy, Michael’s squip glitched out when I tried to sync it to us because his desire conflicts with yours.”

Jeremy looked confused. “What does that even mean?!”

“It means that if Michael’s squip were to be successful in its task, then I wouldn’t be able to complete my task to you, so when I tried to sync, the thing glitched out.” said the squip.

Jeremy looked down in thought for a moment, before his head snapped back up. “Wait, are you saying Michael wants to get with Christine?!”

The squip rolled his eyes. “Of course not, he wants you!”

Jeremy’s mouth fell open in shock. He was unable to speak. His squip moved over to Michael and put his hands on Michael’s shoulders. Michael's body remained still, eyes still glowing, but much dimmer.

“Poor Michael, all he wanted was to have you back.” The squip said in a sickly sweet voice, and began to rub his shoulders. “Guess Jeremy was the only thing holding you together, huh?”

Jeremy clenched his fists at this sight and ran at his squip in a rage. “Leave him alone!” To his surprise, his squip flickered out and reappeared behind Jeremy. When Jeremy didn’t move, the squip gestured to Michael. Jeremy turned and ran to his friend, grabbing his shoulders.

“Michael, can you hear me? Michael?” he said, shaking him gently.

Michael remained still, no glimpse of himself seemed to be present.

Jeremy turned back to his squip, and held up the bottle of mountain dew red. “You’re done. I’m getting rid of you!”

The squip blinked, and then shrugged. “Fine. You’re clearly not willing to make yourself better, so I’ve done all I can.”

Jeremy waited for some kind of trick, but there was none. He slowly tipped the bottle back, and drank a bit of the red liquid. Immediately, Jeremy screamed. He noticed that the other squipped students were screaming as well, except Michael, who just fell to the ground, limp. Before Jeremy could have another thought, he blacked out.

* * *

 Jeremy slowly opened his eyes, and found himself in a hospital bed. He looked around and saw that his father was sitting in a chair by his bed. When his dad saw that he was awake, a wide smile spread across his face. “Welcome back son.”

For the next three days, Jeremy felt really out of it, not being able to remember much from that night. Physically though, he quickly recovered, even being able to get out of bed. The rest of the students who had been squipped were there too, and they all hung out in Jeremy and Rich’s room, since it was the largest, while they waited to be released.

Finally, the memories came back in a flash, and Jeremy looked around the room in a panic, and realized someone was missing.

“Where’s Michael?” he asked.

The rest of the group fell silent, before Jake spoke up. “Uh, Michael hasn’t woken up yet.”

When Jeremy heard this, he jumped up and demanded to know which room he was in. His dad took his hand gently, but when Jeremy met his eyes desperately, he smiled and led Jeremy to Michael’s room.

Jeremy approached slowly. Michael lay completely still, with his eyes closed. Jeremy noticed how pale Michael looked, and it made him feel sick. He glanced nervously at the heart monitor, relieved to see it beeping steadily.

“They can’t figure out why he isn’t awake yet, but they said he’s in some kind of coma.” said Jeremy’s dad.

Jeremy felt his stomach fill up with dread as he wondered if Michael was even still in there. He took his friend’s hand, hoping he could somehow will him awake.

“Michael? Come on buddy, wake up.”

Silence

“You… If you’re just doing this to get back at me for the party, well, you got me. I’ll already regret it for the rest of my life. So…”

…

“Seriously, you’ve got to still be in there. This can’t be the end, we're going to college together, remember?” His voice cracked as he tried to hold back tears.

Nothing

“Please wake up, you have to. Mikey please!”

A sob finally escaped him, and he felt his father’s hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry Jeremy. I’m sure he’ll wake up soon.”

Jeremy nodded, but deep down, he knew that his friend was gone. He took a stupid pill, threw away years of friendship for a girl, and now Michael was gone.

Jeremy’s dropped his friend’s hand, and said softly, “I’m so sorry I left you. You’ll always be my player 2.” He secretly hoped for answer, but there was only silence.


	2. Moving On?

Jeremy could feel him himself being shaken awake. Reluctantly, he slowly opened his eyes. His dad was bending over, and had been shaking his shoulder.

“Come on Jeremy, I want you to go to school today.” he said.

Jeremy became aware of his surroundings. He lay curled up in his bean bag in front of the TV where he played video games. This caused him to glance at the empty bean bag beside him. Jeremy blinked and then rolled to face away from his father.

“I don’t want to go today.” he said quietly.

Jeremy heard his dad sigh. “You haven’t been back since the play Jeremy. I understand you need some time to recover but it’s been almost three weeks.” he paused. “I’m pretty sure you were the one who told me I couldn’t just give up. Now I’m telling you the same thing.”

Jeremy sat up and faced his father. “Why?” he asked plainly. “What’s the point? Even if I somehow survive the rest of high school, and get into college, I’ll be alone.”

His dad paused, looking at him sadly. “There’s still a chance he’ll will wake up. He’s breathing on his own, and the doctors can’t find any poison in his system.”

Jeremy nearly laughed at that. _Yeah, because everyone was just poisoned by that liquid at the play_ he thought. “It doesn’t matter. He’s gone dad, and it’s all my f-”

“And even if he doesn’t.” his dad interrupted. “You know Michael wouldn’t want you to just give up.”

Jeremy stared at his father for a few seconds, before numbly standing to his feet.

At this, his dad smiled and put his hand on Jeremy’s shoulder. “I know it’s hard son, sometimes we just have to find a way to survive.”

Nodding slowly, Jeremy made his way to his room to put on some pants. When he got there, he closed the door behind him and opened his closet. The whole time he got dressed, Jeremy felt like he was on auto-pilot. He could hear his dad talking from outside the door.

“And I want you to sleep in your bed tonight.” he was saying “Three weeks sleeping on that bean bag can’t be good for your back.”

Jeremy opened the door and silently walked past his father, feeling his concerned eyes on him. When he got to the front door, Jeremy turned around. “Well, I’ll see you later dad.”

His father gave him a small wave, and Jeremy was out the door.

* * *

 At school, Jeremy felt very uncomfortable. _Not that he ever felt comfortable at school_ he thought, but this was something different. He couldn’t tell if he was just imagining it, but everyone seemed to be walking on eggshells around him, like they were concerned about upsetting him or something. When he had almost reached his locker, he saw Jake hobbling towards him on crutches.  
“Hey Jeremy, glad to see you back at school! The rest of us were starting to worry.”

Jeremy crossed his arms. “The rest of us?”

Jake nodded. “Yeah. Me, Rich Chloe, Brooke, Christine, the whole squad.”

Jeremy made a small noise of understanding before turning to his locker. There was an awkward silence, before Jake coughed and rubbed the back of his head nonchalantly.

“So… How’s Michael doing?” he asked.

Jeremy shrugged. “I don’t know, I haven’t been to see him.”

Jakes eyes widened slightly in surprise. “Oh, well… I’m sure he’ll be okay. That kid always seemed pretty strong.”

Jeremy gave a loud sigh and turned to face Jake. “That’s where you’re wrong. He wanted everyone to think he was strong, but the people who really knew him saw how easily he could fall apart. He always had his headphones in case he couldn’t cope with stress. He would stay silent when people bullied him, but all it would take was one word at the wrong time and he would break down.”

Jake tried to apologize, but Jeremy just continued.

“Michael told me once that there were only two things keeping him around: the thought of college, and me.”

Jake remained silent and Jeremy stared at him. Finally, Jeremy shook his head and went to class. After that outburst, he spent the entire first class trying to hold back tears. _I knew coming today was a bad idea_ he thought.

Somehow, Jeremy managed to keep it together through the first two class periods. Jeremy got up from his desk and slowly made his way to the cafeteria. When he got there, Jeremy saw Jake, Rich, Chloe, and Brooke eating together. Jake glanced at him and gave a sad smile. Jeremy was grateful that he turned back to the others, not drawing attention in case Jeremy didn’t want to eat with them, which he didn’t.

Then he looked at few tables over and saw Christine eating by herself. She looked up, and when their eyes met, she gave a wide smile and waved him over.

Reluctantly, Jeremy walked over and sat down.

“Hi Jeremy.” she said brightly. “Glad to see you back.”

Jeremy nodded and began to eat his lunch, hoping to have as little interaction as possible. He quickly realized, however, that this wouldn’t be the case with Christine.

“You know, I still remembered how it felt” she said, glancing down at her food. “It’s kind of embarrassing to find out I just want things to be easy.”  
Jeremy looked up at her and noticed how sad she looked. He started to feel a bit guilty. After all, she hadn’t willingly been squipped _No one was, except me and Rich_ he realized.

“Well, who wants things to be hard, right?” Jeremy said, trying to make her feel better.

It worked, because Christine let out a small laugh, smiling again. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right.” she said. “Did you hear what people are saying caused this whole mess?”

Jeremy nodded. “Poison, I think. Apparently some residue leaked from the squips, and they thought it was cause. At least they didn’t find the squips though.”

“Yeah, we would probably be taken away to Area 51 or something.” said Christine, giggling. “Like we’re robots.”

At this, Jeremy laughed, for the first time in weeks, he realized. “If I were a robot, I’d finish high school in a flash and get out of this hell.”

Christine nodded. “If I were a robot, doing drama would be a lot harder. I’d just be like, shall I compare thee to a summer’s day… Beep bop.” she said a monotone voice.

This only made Jeremy laugh harder. It was almost weird to feel anything other than that empty pit in his stomach that plagued him since the play. Jeremy met Christine’s eyes, smiling, and she smiled back.

Christine reached for Jeremy’s hand. “You know, I always feel happy when I talk to you. Whenever I’m feeling down, you cheer me up, if even a little.” she paused. “That doesn’t really happen with other guys.”

Jeremy blushed and began to feel butterflies in his stomach.

“I was nervous to talk to you after everything that happened, but now… I think I’m ready. Jeremy, do you want to get lunch this Saturday, just the two of us?”

Jeremy stared at Christine. “You’re… You’re asking me out?”

Christine nodded, and Jeremy sat back in his chair, very surprised. _This is it. This is what I’ve wanted for so long_ he thought. Then he thought of everything he had done to get here. The squip, Brooke, Chloe… Michael. Tears suddenly came to his eyes, but he quickly wiped them away.

“Christine, I’m sorry. I just… Don’t think I’m ready for that right now.” he said sadly.

Christine looked hurt for a second, before nodding with understanding. “I get it. You’ve been through a lot. If you ever change your mind… Well, You know where to find me, I guess.”

With that, Christine got up and left the cafeteria. Jeremy sadly watched her leave, before finishing his lunch.

The rest of the day went by smoothly. Despite the rough way his conversation with Christine had ended, overall it left him feeling much better. At least, he wasn’t on the verge of a break down. After classes ended, Jeremy went to his locker, and saw Rich waiting for him. This was apparently Rich’s first day back as well, but he had just gotten out of the hospital. Jeremy could still see burns from the fire, but overall Rich looked better than he expected.

“How’s it going Jeremy?” he asked.

“How do you think?” Jeremy bit back.

Rich shrugged. “I don’t know, you didn’t come to the hospital, so I haven’t seen you. You never came to see me… or Michael.”

Jeremy rolled his eyes. “Well, this is the first day I’ve gotten up to do anything, so…”

Rich eyes softened, and he stopped leaning against the lockers. “Look, I know this has been hard for everyone, but I feel like you probably have it the worst. I… I can’t help but feel responsible for what happened to him.”

Jeremy shook his head. “I was the the one who pushed him away, and he still came to help me at the play. I should’ve looked out for him more than I did. I was the one who let my squip get that much control.”

Rich looked down. “But none of this would’ve happened if I hadn’t told you about the squip in the first place.”

“Rich, I know as well as anyone how hard it is to resist a squip. I don’t blame you for any of this. Hell, I’d be the biggest hypocrite in history if I got mad at you for listening to it.” said Jeremy.

“Heh, yeah…” muttered Rich. After a few awkward seconds of silence, he continued. “So, anything new with Christine?”

Jeremy blushed. “Well, she kind of asked me out.”

“Hey, that’s great!” said Rich.

Jeremy shrugged. “Actually, I turned her down.”

At this, Rich raised eyebrow curiously. “Really? I’m surprised. I mean, you’ve been pining after her as long as I’ve known you. Isn’t that why you got your squip?”

Jeremy nodded. “Yeah, and that’s why I can’t do it. Well, that’s not the only reason, but that stupid squip ruined everything, and the thought of it succeeding… Just makes me sick.”

Rich seemed to understand. “I get it.” he said, then laughed. “If the squip was still around, it would be pretty pissed at failing the task.”

Jeremy was about to agree when something about Rich’s wording stopped him. “The squip failed at its task. I didn’t get with Christine…”  
Rich cocked his head. “Um… yeah, that’s what I just said.”

“No no,” said Jeremy holding up his hand. “Getting Christine isn’t my objective anymore, so his task doesn’t conflict with mine now.” said Jeremy, getting excited.

“What are you talking about?” asked Rich.

Jeremy met Rich’s eyes with a smile so bright, it could only mean one thing.

“Michael.”

* * *

 Within half an hour, Jeremy rushed home and convinced his dad to drive him to the hospital. In all honesty, he didn’t need much convincing. He’d been wanting Jeremy to see Michael for some time, but Jeremy seemed to have given up. Now it seemed he was ready to get some closure.

What Jeremy didn’t tell his dad was what they would find there. He couldn’t believe it was this simple. He knew that Michael would be out of the hospital in no time, and then the two of them could have the life they’d always talked about; college, popularity, together. Jeremy knew that nothing could come between them now, and he could finally put this squip business behind him.

When they arrived, Jeremy jumped out of the car and dashed to Michael’s room, wondering if they had moved him when he woke up. He got to the door, and saw that Michael’s name was still on the sign next to it. Getting more and more excited, Jeremy pushed the door open and stepped inside. He started walking to the bed, and then froze.

The heart monitor still beeped steadily. Sunlight peeked through the window. Michael lay in the hospital bed, still, with his eyes closed. Nothing had changed from the last time he saw Michael.

Jeremy stayed there, frozen, until his dad finally caught up to him. When he entered, Jeremy turned slowly to face him, eyes wide.

“He’s… Michael’s still asleep. He didn’t wake up.”

When Jeremy’s father heard this, his eyes widened. “Jeremy, you thought… Did someone tell you that Michael had woken up?”

Jeremy didn’t say anything. Instead walked up to Michael and plopped down on a chair next to his bed. He stayed there in silence, just looking at Michael. Suddenly, Jeremy began to sob.

It wasn’t like a slow buildup of small cries that got louder, but it was as if weeks worth of buildup broke loose all at once. The cries were sharp and painful, and they echoed throughout the room and down the hall. Jeremy’s dad stood there wondering if he should comfort his son or let him get it out. He decided on the latter.

“Michael, I need you! You-” He was cut off by a cry of anguish. “Please, you’re in there somewhere… You have to be!” He hiccuped, and grabbed Michael’s shoulders, beginning to shake him. “I’ll do anything Michael. ANYTHING, if you’d just wake up!”

Jeremy’s father started to pull him away from Michael.

“No, NO… He’s not gone, please!” Jeremy began to scream.

“I’m sorry Jeremy, I’m so… so sorry.” his dad said, crying too now.

“I… I LOVE YOU MICHAEL” Jeremy yelled.

Everything seemed to go silent. Jeremy’s cries were temporarily ceased from shock, and apparently so were his father’s. Jeremy didn’t know why, but he glanced at Michael’s heart monitor, just in time to see it jump up for two frames before returning to normal.

Jeremy broke away from his father and ran back to Michael, watching his eyes like a hawk, but they remained closed. Jeremy turned back to his dad, tears glistening in his eyes.

“Michael’s still in there, and no matter what, I’m going to bring him back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, guess this is going to be ongoing story, if people like it that is.


	3. Not the Best Idea

As soon as Jeremy got home, he began to devise a plan to save Michael. He figured that the squip had locked him away somewhere in his own mind when it glitched. The concept seemed like a bad sci-fi soap opera plot, but it made sense. _About as much as any of this_ he thought.

Jeremy didn’t know very much about squips, but there was someone he could ask about them.

 **I’m Heere:** Hey Rich, you there?  
**Bi-lingual:** Yeah man, did you go to see Michael?  
**I’m Heere:** Um… yeah  
**Bi-lingual:** And?  
**I’m Heere:** No change  
**Bi-lingual:** Gosh, that sucks. Are you glad you went to see him?  
**I’m Heere:** Kind of. I thought there was no chance of him coming back, but I think he’s still in there. I said something to him, and his heart rate went up for a second.  
**Bi-lingual:** Really? What’d you say??  
**I’m Heere:** That’s not important. Can you tell me what you know about squips?  
**Bi-lingual:** I mean, I don’t know much. Definitely not about what happened. From what you told me, even your squip didn’t know that would happen.  
**I’m Heere:** There must be something! You’re the one who told me about the stupid things and now you’re saying you can’t help me?!  
***………Bi-lingual is typing***  
**I’m Heere:** Wait, no. I’m sorry Rich. I didn’t mean to get upset.  
**Bi-lingual:** It’s okay man, I know you want to help Michael, So do I. I think the only one who would know anything is the one we bought them from.  
**I’m Heere:** But he’s not around there anymore.  
**Bi-lingual:** Actually I saw him there yesterday  
**I’m Heere:** …WHAT, you’re kidding me… Is he still selling squips?!  
**Bi-lingual:** I don’t know. Possibly?  
**I’m Heere:** I’M GOING TO KILL HIM  
**Bi-lingual:** Whoa, calm down! As much as I’d love to see that, you can’t help Michael from jail.  
**I’m Heere:** I know, but I will go over there and get some answers.  
**Bi-lingual:** K, be careful Jeremy…

Jeremy put his phone down, grabbed his jacket, and went to head out the door. Before he could, he remembered something that his dad kept in a drawer by his bed. Peeking around into the kitchen to make sure his dad was preoccupied, Jeremy walked into his dad’s room, slowly opened the drawer, and picked up the item, putting it in his coat pocket. _Just in case_ he thought.

Less than half an hour later, Jeremy sat in the same place where he and Michael had sat months ago, looking around for the man. He ordered some chile fries to pass the time (and for nostalgia’s sake) and began to wait.

Not even ten minutes went by before Jeremy saw the man come out of the store and lean against a wall, holding a shoe box.

A feeling of rage began to form in the pit of his stomach, and without thinking of a plan, Jeremy stood up from his chair and marched up to the man.

“Hey!” yelled Jeremy.

The man turned to him in surprise, and it only grew as this scrawny looking kid stormed up to him.

When Jeremy was just a few feet away, he pointed at the box. “What do you have there?” he asked accusingly.

The man rolled his eyes. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” he said sarcastically.

Jeremy took a step forward. “I know what you’re doing here, and you disgust me. How dare you come back here and continue to sell squips!”

The man let out a little laugh. “Hey kid, I told you I’m not responsible for anything that the pills cause. I don’t make the squips, I just sell them.”

Jeremy heart skips a beat. “Who does make them?”

The man shakes his head. “You think I’d tell you? If you’re not here to make a purchase then beat it. I have a client coming soon who does.”

Jeremy lets out a deep sigh. _You can do this, you have to too. For Michael!_

With a strength Jeremy didn’t know he had, he grabbed the man and pulled him into an empty hallway. Then, Jeremy reached into his pocket with one hand, and pulled out a knife.

“Tell me where the squips come from… RIGHT NOW”

The man had been caught completely off guard by this kid, but he quickly regained his senses and smirked. “Wow, you really want to know huh? Been trying to get rid of a squip? Make your own? I’m impressed how determined you are about this.”

Jeremy’s grip on the knife didn’t falter, nor did his furious expression. He said nothing.

“I mean, it’s kind of obvious you’re not very experienced with this sort of thing.” the man continued. “Because if you were…”

The man, who was much stronger than Jeremy, grabbed the hand that held the knife. He then pushed Jeremy down onto his knees. When Jeremy looked up, shocked, there was a gun pointed at his face.

“You would’ve brought something a little more effective.”

Jeremy gulped. This was not what he planned. He dropped the puny knife, hands now shaking. He was just about to start pleading for his life when he heard a voice behind him.

“You mean… Like this?”

Jeremy risked a glance towards the voice, and saw Rich standing to the right of the hallway, pointing a gun at the man.

The man looked startled for a second, before his smirk returned. “Richie… you think you scare me? I still have the gun pointed at this scrawny wannabe. You better leave before I switch my target.”

Rich didn’t falter. “I called the police. Told them there’s a creepy guy selling drugs by Payless. Wouldn’t want them arriving to a homicide.”

The man cursed under his breath and lowered his weapon. “I won't forget this Rich, I was supposed to make a sale today!” he moved to get out of the hallway, but Rich blocked his path.

“Hold on, answer my friend’s question. Where did you get the squips?” Rich asked.

The man scoffed. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Sirens began to blare in the distance. “You do want to make your escape before they get here, don’t you?” said Rich, twirling the gun in his hand. “Tell him, and then you can run.”

The man looked at rich with clenched teeth, then whirled around to face Jeremy. “The Trenchkey Computer Center. It’s about an hour out of town. I have a friend there who ships me the things every month, but good luck getting anyone who will talk about it.” He stopped to think for a moment. “Actually, scratch that. Consider yourself lucky if you can’t find anyone.”

He turned back around to Rich, who had already moved out of the way. “Have a nice day!” Rich said sweetly. The man flipped him off and moved quickly back into the store.

Once he had gone Jeremy shakily stood to his feet, only to receive a punch in the shoulder from Rich. “What the hell Jeremy?! I told you to be careful! How did you think pulling a knife on a drug dealer was a good idea?!”

“I-I’m sorry… I j-just needed answers!” Jeremy stammered.

Rich put the gun in his pocket, grabbed Jeremy’s arm, and led him to the parking lot. Jeremy could tell that Rich was pissed, but he also saw him shaking a little. _Geez, didn’t think Rich would be that mad_ thought Jeremy.

When they made it to Rich’s car, which was parked next to Jeremy’s, Rich let out a shaky breath and looked at Jeremy. “Seriously, that was so stupid. I can’t believe you did that. How do you think Michael would feel if he woke up and you were dead?”

“But he’s not going to wake up unless I do something! This was the only way Rich! I’m the only one who has any clue how to help him!” yelled Jeremy, trying not to cry.

“What about me?” countered Rich. “I’ve been trying to figure this out since I got out of the hospital!”

Jeremy paused at this. “Wait… You have?”

Rich rolled his eyes. “You think i’ve just been sitting on hands?”

“No, but… Why?” asked Jeremy. “I mean, you didn’t even know Michael.”

Rich shook his head. “Actually, Michael visited me in hospital not long after the fire.”

Jeremy’s eyes widened, but before he could say anything, Rich continued.

“Granted, he did come to ask about how to get rid of the squip, but then he stayed and… talked to me.”

When Rich paused, Jeremy asked, “Talked about what?”

Rich shrugged. “Lots of stuff. You, my squip, the fire. He uh… he kind of helped me drown out the squip’s voice for awhile. Because… Michael didn’t have any negative judgements against me, or any expectations, so the squip couldn’t tell me anything I was doing wrong.”

Jeremy stared at Rich, and looked down. “Yeah, that does sound like Michael.” he muttered.

The two stayed silent for a moment, before Rich said, “Michael felt real. I didn’t have to change myself for him to like me. I mean, I was probably in the worst state possible, and he just… Didn’t care. It was the first time I realized… How much I needed that. So, I guess in a way, Michael’s kind of my friend too.”

Jeremy cleared his throat. “Well, it sounds like you’ve been a better friend than I was.”

“Hey,” said Rich. “Sure, you’ve been a jerk to him recently, but he just couldn’t stop talking about how great you are. How much you’ve done for him. He said you helped him through a lot of stuff. You guys can still get that back. _I can’t say the same for my few pre-squip friendships._ ” he whispered that last part, before shaking his head and looking Jeremy straight in the eye.

“I’m going to help you get Michael back, so you don’t have to pull crazy stunts like that by yourself. Got it?”

Jeremy nodded. “Yeah, thanks Rich.”

Rich gave a slight nod, and started to get into his car. “So, first stop is the Trenchkey Computer Center, right?”

“Yep, do you know where it is?” asked Jeremy.

“No, but we can find it on a GPS.” responded Rich

Jeremy got into his own car and started search for it on his GPS. He quickly found it and started the route. 1 hr 17min. Jeremy’s phone buzzed, and he saw a text from Rich.

 **Bi-lingual:** Got the directions?  
**I’m Heere:** Yep, you?  
**Bi-lingual:** Yeah, I’m ready to go  
**I’m Heere:** Same

The two of them started their cars, and were soon on the road.

...

  
**I’m Heere:** So, I thought you said squips weren’t drugs?  
**Bi-lingual:** They’re not, but I wasn’t gonna call the police and tell them a mind controlling computer chip dealer was at the mall.  
**I’m Heere:** Yeah, makes sense  
…  
**I’m Heere:** You know, that rescue of yours was probably the most badass thing I’ve ever seen  
**Bi-lingual:** Aw, thanks! I try  
**I’m Heere:** Thanks again for that btw  
**Bi-lingual:** Well I wasn’t gonna let Michael’s crush go on a suicide mission and get himself killed  
**I’m Heere:** Wait, Michael has a crush on me?  
**Bi-lingual:** Oh my god Jeremy  
**I’m Heere:** What?  
**Bi-lingual:** You two are hopeless!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, this is coming along nicely.


	4. "From Japan"

After a long drive, Jeremy parked his car in a nonintrusive place and stepped out. Before he could look around, Rich approached from around the corner, presumably having done the same.

“You ready for this?” Jeremy asked.

Rich nodded and looked around at the building before them. It looked completely normal, which somehow unsettled them more than if it had looked like some creepy mad scientist lab. Jeremy look a deep breath, and pushed open the front door.

Inside, a busy secretary sat at her desk, typing away at a computer while occasionally glancing at a stack of files next to her. Jeremy looked at Rich, who shrugged and gestured him to approach the desk. When he did, the secretary didn’t seem to notice him.

“Um… Excuse me?” Jeremy said, trying to get her attention.

The secretary’s head snapped up, and she looked completely shocked for moment before putting on a wide smile.

“Well hello boys,” she said, looking at the two of them. “What can I do for you?”

“I’d like to speak to someone about one of your products please.” said Jeremy, sounding surprisingly assertive. Rich couldn’t help but smile.

The secretary cocked her head in confusion. “I’m sorry, but we currently don’t have any products available. We’re just a research facility.”

Now Jeremy looked confused. Rich, however, anticipated a response like this.

“We need to speak to them anyway. Someone in charge. There’s something called a squip that’s been making its rounds nearby, and we know it was shipped from here.” he said.

Not even losing her smile, the secretary folded her hands and looked Rich straight in the eyes. “There is nothing like that here I’m afraid. I’m sorry you came all this way for nothing, but if that’s all you’ve come to inquire about, I suggest you leave the premises immediately.” The way she said it sounded almost like a threat somehow.

Jeremy and Rich were at a loss. Not knowing what else to do, they left the building.

“What do we do now?” asked Jeremy, beginning to get anxious. _Should we have tried harder? Should we go back in and demand to see someone? What if this is actually the wrong place?!_

Rich could see that Jeremy was stressed, so he looked around and saw a diner right across the street. He nudged Jeremy and pointed to it. “Why don’t we get something to eat, I’m starving after that drive. Then we can decide what to do next, sound good?”

Jeremy looked hesitant, but then he sighed and agreed. They walked across the street and went into the diner.

After ordering, the two sat in silence for a bit, before Rich tried to break the awkwardness.

“So, how was the drive over here for you?” he asked.

Jeremy shrugged. “It was fine I guess…”

Rich rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, trying to think of how to explain what he meant. “I mean… An hour in a car, by yourself, alone with your thoughts. How’d you do with handling the squip?”

Ah, now Jeremy understood, and thinking about it made him smile. “Actually,” he said. “I didn’t have a problem with it. I think I’ve finally been able to consistently keep him quiet.”

Rich nodded. “Yeah, I noticed that it’s gotten a lot easier as time passes.” he pauses. “You know, there was a time when I got scared… That even if I got rid of the squip, he’d still be there, and would never truly go away. That terrified me…”

Jeremy nodded slowly, completely understanding. “Yeah, but it looks like we’ll be able to put it all behind us. Once we get Michael back… Things can go back to normal.” he said, hopeful.

Before Rich could respond, their food arrived. Jeremy noticed a piece of paper on the tray.

“What is this?” he asked the waiter.

The waiter looked at what Jeremy pointed at and shrugged. “Some girl came up to me and asked to give it to you.” He winked. “Maybe she gave you her number.”

He laughed as he walked back into the kitchen, leaving Jeremy nervous but slightly curious. Rich picked up the paper before Jeremy could and read what it said. After a second, his eyes widened in surprise, before he showed it to Jeremy.

Meet me behind the TCC building if you want to talk about SQUIPS -s

“Should we trust them?” asked Jeremy. “It could be some kind of trap…”

Rich shrugged. Jeremy thought about it for a minute, and then decided. “Right now, this is our best shot.”

After quickly finishing their meal, Rich and Jeremy left the diner and crossed back over to the TCC building. Making sure nobody was watching, they walked behind the building. It wasn’t long before their new “contact” arrived. At the sound of footsteps, they both whirled around.

Before them was a frail looking girl who had the physicality of someone in her late teens, but her face and eyes made her look much older, maybe even mid-twenties. Her eyes specifically looked very tired.

“Hello, I heard you want to know something about squips?” she said in a questioning tone.

Even after hearing her voice, Jeremy still couldn’t tell how old she was, somehow sounding both very young and old at the same time. Realizing he had just been staring at this girl, he quickly cleared his throat and replied.

“Yeah, we are. Something went wrong with my squip, and…” he stopped to make sure his voice didn’t crack. “My friend ended up in a coma.”

The girl surprisingly didn’t change her expression, but only nodded inquisitively. “Did anything happen with another squip in the area?” she asked.

Jeremy nodded. “My squip tried to sync up with his, and…” he didn’t finish, but she seemed to understand.

“I can take you to where the squips are managed, and we can try to figure something out, but we have to be very careful.” she said. “If they catch you, or me… We won’t get a second chance.”

Who are you?” asked Rich.

The girl looked at him curiously, and stayed silent for a moment, as if she expected someone else to answer. Then she blinked and gave a small smile. “My name is Serena.”

* * *

 Jeremy and Rich followed Serena as she led them to a side door. She pulled a key from her pocket and quietly unlocked the door. Inside was a dark hallway. Even after the lights were turned on, they were dim and did little to actually light the hallway. They walked carefully until they came to a door at the end of it.

When they walked through, the surroundings changed to a modern, white hallway with several doors leading to what looked like computer or conference rooms. Serena peeked out and looked around for a moment, before stepping into the hall. They entered one of the rooms, which looked completely normal with the exception of an elevator.

Jeremy couldn’t help but be surprised. He had never seen an elevator in a separate room like this. Nevertheless, he and Rich followed her into the elevator. When they came to the right floor, Jeremy stepped out and took in the sight.

It was a large room broken up into two distinct sections. On one side was a full lab with tables, glass chemical chambers, and lab equipment he remembered from school, along with equipment he didn’t recognize. On the other side was the biggest computer he’d ever seen. It took up the entire side of one wall.

Serena cleared her throat and made a hand gesture around the room. “Welcome to the mind room,” she said. “Where the squip was made, studied, and managed.”

At this, Rich turned to her in surprise. “Wait, I thought it was made in Japan!”

Serena looked at him, confused. “No, who told you that?” she asked.

Rich shrugged nonchalantly, slightly embarrassed. “Doesn’t matter I guess.” he said. “So what are we going to do in here that’ll help Michael?”

“Well,” started Serena, looking at Jeremy. “First I need you to start up the computer.”

“Why can’t you do it?” asked Jeremy.

Serena sighed, sounding annoyed. “Because it detects… I’m just not able to get in okay? You shouldn’t have a problem.”

Jeremy looked at her suspiciously for a moment, before shrugging and pushing the power button. The computer made strange sound before blinking to life.

Serena gave a sigh of relief, and walked up to the computer. After typing at it for a few seconds, she looked at Jeremy. “What’s your friend’s full name?” she asked.  
“Michael Mell” Jeremy answered.

Serena turned back and continued to type. Finally, she stepped back from the computer, and on the screen was a hologram outline that had the exact shape of Michael.

“Here’s Michael’s squip profile.” Serena said. “I should be able to access and deactivate it, only…” She clicked on the hologram’s head, and a warning popped up. “Yep, it says the signal isn’t strong enough. The squip doesn’t have enough connection to his brain to register. It can’t confirm that it’s actually attached to him.”

“So, what can we do?” asked Jeremy anxiously.

Serena looked thoughtful for a moment, tapping her finger on the desk. “We’d need some sort of DNA from Michael. Then the computer could scan it, and the squip can be detected.”

Jeremy’s eyes widened. “DNA? How am I supposed to get that?” he asked.

Serena shrugged. “I don’t know. We could use hair, spit, clothes, or anything of his really.”

Jeremy looked at Rich and sighed. “Guess I’ll have to drive back.”

Rich nodded. “I’ll stay here I suppose. I can help Serena, if she needs it…” he said, turning to look at her.

Serena looked at the computer, and back at Rich. “There are some things I need to take care of. Having your help could make it go more smoothly.” she said.

Jeremy walked over to the elevator before turning back to Rich. “I’ll text you when I need to be let back in, okay?”

Rich nodded. “Yep, and let me know if you have any problems. I’ll help as much as I can.” he said.

Jeremy got into the elevator, and Rich was left alone in the mind room with Serena, who was busy typing at the computer. She then got up and started looking through the cabinets.

“I need to find the DNA scanner.” she said. “Then I’ll need your help running some formulas through the lab so we’ll be able to track Michael’s condition when we actually go to deactivate. That way, we’ll know to what extant we have to do it.”

Rich looked at her in confusion. “What do you mean?” he asked.

“We have to find the balance between turning it off enough to wake him up, and turning off to the point where it might negatively affect his brain. We don’t know yet where that line is, and I’m sure you’d like to have him back as himself.” she answered.

Rich stared at Serena, thinking about that possibility. He didn’t even know Michael that well, but the thought of him waking up as anything other than his old self made him sick. Serena had gone back to whatever she was doing, but Rich was suddenly very curious about something.

“How do you even know so much about squips?” he asked.

Serna suddenly stopped what she was doing and stood completely still. She was facing away from him, so Rich couldn’t see her face. After a few seconds of silence, she answered him.

“I was, involved… with its development. I know just as much about the squip as everyone else who works in this building.” she answered, sounding like she was choosing her words carefully.

Rich couldn’t help but wonder how that was possible when Serena didn’t look like she was much older than him. _The squip had to have been in development for several years, and who knows how long it’s been around already_ he thought.

He remained confused, but decided not to ask anymore questions. After all, it didn’t really matter what was up with this girl, as long as she was helping them.

* * *

 As Jeremy drove, he wondered how in the world he was going to get Michael’s DNA. He thought about going to the hospital and getting one of Michael’s hairs, but then he realized that there might be security cameras, and it was simply too risky. _How hard would that be to explain?_ he thought with a bit of humor.

Then he thought of finding Michael’s DNA at Jeremy’s house, but then realized with a twinge of regret that Michael hadn’t been there recent enough for the DNA to be strong enough.

That gave him an idea though, and it seemed like the best option… Michael’s house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can Serena be trusted? Feel free to tell me any theories or observations you have in the comments!


	5. Secrets and Oddities

Jeremy pulled up to Michael’s driveway and got out of his car. It felt a little strange being there, and not just because he was going to his friend’s house while he was in a coma in order to collect DNA. No, it was because he hardly ever went to Michael’s house.

As much as Michael talked about the two of them getting stoned in his basement, very rarely did they actually do that. It was always Jeremy’s house that they hung out at, and the few times they did go to Michael’s house, it was a quick dash to the basement. He used to go to Michael’s house all the time, but near the end of middle school, Michael seemed more and more reluctant.

“You’re the one with all the cool games!” Michael would say, and Jeremy didn’t argue with that.

All of this made him a little nervous, like Michael didn’t want him there. But, after all of this, he couldn’t back down now. So, Jeremy walked up to the front door and knocked.

He could hear footsteps inside, and a few seconds later, the door opened to reveal Michael’s mother. She was wearing a fancy, navy blue dress and a pearl necklace. Her hair was up in a nice bun. She looked down at Jeremy with slight irritation. “Yes?” she asked.

Jeremy cleared his throat as he tried to think of a reason to be there. “Um, hi Mrs. Mell. You remember me, Jeremy? Michael’s friend?”

She gave him a long look, before she recognized him and smiled. “Oh, Jeremy! Yes, hello.” the irritation was gone and she now spoke in a very sweet voice.

“Yeah, so I was wondering if I could just get something that Michael borrowed from the basement. It’ll just take a minute.” Jeremy said, hoping she’d believe it.

Michael’s mom nodded and opened the door wider. “Of course, come in! Mr. Mell and I were just about to leave for a work event, but if you make it quick, we’ll wait for you.”

Jeremy stepped inside and looked around. The house looked pretty normal. There were pictures on the wall, average house decor, and the walls were painted with unassuming colors like tan and various shades of blue and red. _So why did he feel like something was slightly off?_

“Um… I’m sorry about what happened to Michael.” Jeremy muttered.

Mrs. Mell looked back at him with an unreadable expression and then turned away with a sigh. “I knew those drugs would ruin his life one of these days. No one to blame but himself.” she said nonchalantly.

Jeremy looked down guiltily. _It wasn’t his fault!_ he wanted to shout.

“Has he been any better?” asked Jeremy. He didn’t think so, since the squip situation hadn’t changed, but it couldn’t hurt to ask.

Mrs. Mell shrugged. “I’m not sure. I haven’t been by to see him, but I’m sure they’ll call if anything changes.”

Jeremy stopped in the doorway of the basement, looking at Michael’s mother in surprise. He would’ve thought his parents would be a little more concerned, but she seemed very casual about it. Then again, he hadn’t gone to see Michael at first either. So instead of asking anymore questions about it, Jeremy just turned around and walked down the basement steps.

When he got down there, it didn’t take long for Jeremy to realize that Michael had moved his room to the basement. His bed sat, unmade, in a corner, and all of his posters and various other things were hung on the walls. Michael’s dresser and closet were right next to each other, full of clothes. There was a box on Michael’s bed, and when Jeremy looked inside, his heart ached.

It was a box full of things that the two of them shared a connection to. Ticket stubs, sports cards, notes he had written to Michael in elementary school, and other mementos. Jeremy didn’t even know that Michael had kept all of that stuff.

Moving away from the box, Jeremy walked over to a pile of clothes on the floor. He was looking for a particular shirt that he knew for a fact Michael wore recently. After a bit of searching, he found it. A dark brown, long sleeved shirt with the word “Creeps” written in teal letters.

With Michael’s DNA now in hand, Jeremy walked up the basement stairs. When he came close, he heard Michael’s parents arguing.

“Why should we throw our money away just so he can cause us problems even after he’s gone?!” Mrs. Mell said angrily.

He could hear Mr. Mell sigh loudly. “It’s not like we have to pay for breathing machines, just the room and fluids. It’s not as expensive as it could be, and the insurance covers most of it.”

“Yeah, most of it!” she shot back. “The fact that we have to pay anything because of his mistakes is disgusting. I swear, it’s a good thing Michael doesn’t need to be on life support, otherwise…”

“Come on, just give it a little more time. We can’t just give up. What would people say?” he interrupted, trying to reason with her.

Mrs. Mell paused at his last point, presumably thinking it over. “Fine, but if he ever wakes up, he’ll be paying debt until he’s old and gray. After everything we’ve done for him, and it’s all amounted to nothing. School? Therapy? Camp? And somehow he still managed to screw everything up! I won’t wait forever though.”

Jeremy stood completely still, trying to process what he was hearing. Anger began to burn inside of him as they continued to talk about Michael that way. He suddenly got the feeling that he was on a time crunch to save Michael, and that made him very nervous.

Not wanting to cause suspicion by taking too long, Jeremy walked out of the basement and went to the front door. “Thanks for everything, have fun tonight!” he called out, and walked out the door before they could respond. His last thought about the house was that all of the photos hung up gave him an odd feeling. He had seen most of the ground level, and out of all of the pictures, Michael wasn’t in a single one.

* * *

 Rich sat uncomfortably on a hard chair, spinning a weird looking contraption around on a worktable. Serena was busying herself with someone on the computer. Rich heard a ding from his phone, and when he looked at it, he saw that Jeremy had messaged him.

 **I’m Heere:** Got the DNA, heading back now  
**Bi-lingual:** Oh my goood finally!! Im bored out of my mind here  
**I’m Heere:** Really? I thought you would’ve been thrilled being with a girl alone for that long ;)  
**Bi-lingual:** I think she’d rather get busy with all this tech than some guy XD  
**Bi-lingual:** Besides, without my squip, I’m hopeless when it comes to girls… or guys.  
**I’m Heere:** Aw, I’m sure it’s not that bad. Just talk to her, or offer to help idk  
**Bi-lingual:** ugh, fiiiine

Rich set his phone down and glanced at Serena, who was still typing away. He got up from the chair and walked over to her. “So… what are you doing?” he asked as he approached, looking from her to the screen.

Serena glanced up at him for a moment, before returning to her work. “I’m trying to calibrate the system to the tube over there so that when Jeremy gets back with his friend’s DNA, we can hook it up and access the squip. But I’m having some trouble getting past the firewall.”

Rich nodded, getting the gist of what she was saying, despite the complicated vocabulary. Realizing that things were silent again, Rich decided to make conversation in the best way he knew how.

“So, uh… you got an alcoholic dad? Cause I do.”

Serena stopped typing and stared at him. Rich was beginning to think that his social skills weren’t very helpful. “I mean uh, hehe…” he said, trying to backpedal.

“I don’t have a dad.” she said, matter of factly.

Rich stopped and looked at her. “Oh, sorry…”

She shrugged. “It’s fine. Most of the time I was too preoccupied with the squip project to care about stuff like that.”

Rich cocked his head, confused. “How long have you been… working on it?”

Serena put a finger to her mouth, thinking about it. “I don’t know, my earliest memory was in this room, but I doubt I’ve been here my whole life, so maybe since I was two? three?”

Rich’s mouth fell open in shock. “What?! How is that even possible? Have you always been this good at computers?”

Serena’s eyebrow furrowed in confusion, and then she understood and laughed. “No, I never worked with the computers. I wasn’t apart of the team the made or managed the squips. I was the one who tested them.”

Rich blinked processing what she had just said. “…Tested them?” he asked.

Serena nodded. “Yes, I was given a squip when I first came here, and it was given updates as they continued to work on it.”

“So wait, you got a squip when you were like… a toddler?” asked Rich, becoming horrified.

“Yep, although it was nothing like the modern squip at first. They worked out a lot of bugs.” Serena responded.

Rich was shocked. “H-how did you deal with that out in the world?!” he asked.

Serena shook her head. “I didn’t, I lived here in the lab. I never went out into the world until I left the program, and they removed the squip completely.”

Rich stared at Serena, having no idea what to say. “You… you were kept here in the lab, and what? Experimented on?!” his anger started to rise.

“Well, it’s not like I was a prisoner.” Serena said, starting to sound uncomfortable. “I lived here as long as I could remember, so I didn’t really know… And the first time I resisted, they let me leave, so…” she was cut off by a beeping noise, and she got up and walked over to the tube.

Rich followed her and he tried to be careful as he asked, “Did… Did they ever hurt you?” his voice was quiet, and slightly shaking, but Serena heard him.

“No.” she said plainly. “I had very little interaction with the scientists and engineers that wasn’t formal. I received the updates, was asked questions, and I answered them.”

Rich hesitated, and then gave a slight nod, relieved. “So… You don’t have a squip anymore?” he asked.

Serena shook her head. “Nope. That’s why I could never get in. You need a squip to enter.”

“But Jeremy’s squip isn’t active anymore…” Rich pointed out.

“Yes it is.” Serena said. “It just doesn’t have a strong enough signal to communicate with him or perform actions like shocking. Mine was completely turned off.”

Rich looked worried. “So, could our squips turn back on?”

“Only if you drink mountain dew.” she responded.

“Dang, I like mountain dew though.” said Rich, sounding disappointed.

Serena shrugged. “That junk is bad for you anyways.”

Rich laughed. “How come it tastes so good then?”

“Because the sugar acts as a sweetener, and multiple chemicals and high levels of caffeine create an addictive affect by activating dopamine in your brain.” said Serena.

Rich stared at Serena, and then burst out laughing. “Guess you’re the type of person who gives a straight forward answer huh?”

Serena shrugged. “I suppose.”

“So wait, does everyone in this building have a squip?” he asked.

Serena nodded. “Every last one of them”

“Creepy…” Rich muttered. He sat back down in the chair he had been sitting at earlier. It was silent between the two of them as Serena fiddled with the DNA tube. Then she broke the silence.

“So, you said your dad was alcoholic?” she asked.

Rich blushed. “Oh yeah, sorry it’s just… My squip helped me interact with people and it tried all of these different things. One of them was relating to people through a hardship, and I don’t don’t know, it was just the first thing that came to mind. I’m not very socially adept…” Rich knew he was rambling, and he looked up cautiously at Serena, who looked curious.

“Well, I’m not exactly an expert when it comes to social interaction either.” she said. “Since I got out, I’ve been playing this game that’s honestly helped me a lot.”

Rich cocked his head. “Really? What is it?” he asked.

Serena sat down at the table across from him, getting a little excited. “Okay, so I kind of go to a place where people are and sit somewhere. Then I watch them interact. I focus in on a certain interaction, make a guess on what someone will say or do, and if I’m wrong, I try to figure out why they did what they did.”

Rich’s eyes widened. “That’s… Actually pretty cool. It’s like people watching, but you’re analyzing what they’re doing and using it to help your social… ness”

Serena nodded. “Yes! And I’ve picked up tons of patterns, like multiple people from different interaction doing a similar thing. I have so many notes, and recently I’ve started to see a correlation between the way certain people dress, and the way they act!”

“Cool, do you think I could check out those notes sometime?” asked Rich.

Serena smiled widely. “Of course! I’ve always wanted to share my findings with someone! I don’t have the notes with me, but I could try telling you what I can remember off the top of my head.”

Rich nodded. “Yeah, that’d be great!”

So for the next hour, Rich and Serena talked about social interaction. Serena would talk about a certain pattern, and Rich would talk about when he noticed stuff like that too, and sometimes even offered a correlation that Serena hadn’t thought of. She got a piece of paper and took notes whenever he did that.

When Jeremy snuck back into the room, he found the two of them sitting at a work table, laughing and talking. Serena looked over when he entered.

“Do you have the DNA?” she asked.

Jeremy held out Michael’s shirt. “Yep, right here.”

Serena took the shirt. She looked it over for a minute, then tossed it into the tube, where it was sucked out of sight. Then she stood in front of the tube, blocking it from Jeremy and Rich’s view, as she pushed a few buttons. Then, she turned around and look at them.

“Okay…” she said. “Everything’s ready, but there is a slight problem.”

Jeremy and Rich looked at each other nervously, and back at Serena, waiting for her to continue.

She sighed. “Someone has to connect to the machine telepathically to access it at the level to turn off your friend’s squip. In order to do that, you’d need an active squip.” Serena then took a step to the left, revealing something sitting on the counter behind her: a bottle of mountain dew.

Again, Rich and Jeremy looked at each other, both with expressions of fear. Then Jeremy took a step forward, and held out his hand. “Give me the bottle, I’ll do it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I hope you're ready for some serious stuff going down in the next chapter... In the meantime, let me know what you thought of this chapter. Michael's parents, Serena's past, and her and Rich's mutual lack of social skills. XD


	6. Author's Note

Merry Christmas Everybody! 

I hope you've all been enjoying my fan fiction so far. I just love writing these characters, and I hope your ready for some serious junk going down in the next chapter. Thank you to everyone who's left a kudo or comment, and don't worry about leaving too many comments, because I love every single one of them. Also, I've written two one shots recently, and they're in my "Musical Sadness" collection that "Empty Shell" is also apart, so check those out and let me know what you think! So yeah, I hope all of you guys have a happy whatever you celebrate this time of year, and be looking out for the next chapter, cause I'm working on it as we speak. 

One more thing, I was thinking of doing a one shot request fic for Dear Evan Hansen and Be More Chill, where people can request stories for me to write, like different scenarios or AUs, so let me you if you guys are interested in seeing something like that. I'll keep this note up until the next chapter is released.


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